Tanguar haor is located at 25005' - 25012' north/91001' - 91007' East in Tahirpur and Dharmapasha Thanas (smallest government administrative units) of Sunamganj district under Sylhet Division in north eastern Bangladesh. Located at an altitude of only 2.5 - 5.5 meters above sea level, it has an area of 9727 hectares with 50 beels covering approximately 25 - 30 percent of the haor at the end of dry season.
The Author, while had been incharge of IUCN Bangladesh, was involved both in the National Conservation Strategy endorsement process and was providing technical assistance in development of the Tanguar Haor management plan.
The Initial Situation
Apart from habitat destruction, one of the main problems facing the management of most freshwater wetlands in the country is that the fisheries resources have largely fallen into the hands of the elite : wealthy and the politically well-connected. This process, whereby local fishermen are (sometimes forcefully) divorced from their resource base invariably leads to impoverishment. The process is also often linked to over-utilisation of natural resources, which is fueled by the fact that the rural poor have to make ends meet on an ever-dwindling resource base, while the elite myopically focus on making handsome profits in the short - term.
The main issues at Tanguar Haor are :
• decline of fisheries production,
• depletion of other natural resources, such as reed lands and swamp forest,
• numbers of migratory waterfowl are dropping
• increased soil erosion/siltation
• last vestiges of swamp forest are under threat
• increased non-fishery activities leading to resource depletion
• against this backdrop of declining resources, there is a growing conflict over resources between the local community and the leaseholder of the fisheries
• lack of community participation
The Change process
The Tanguar Haor Management Plan is the first attempt in Bangladesh to combine sustainable resource management and biodiversity conservation in a freshwater wetland in a planned manner. The strategy of this plan is to restore participation of the local community including women in resource management on the one hand, while at the same time introducing sustainable forms of management, and investing in habitat restoration activities. The plan does not attempt to change or undermine the status quo, as this would be futile, given the existing political and economic sentiments.
The emphasis in this Management Plan has been on creating incentives for stakeholders to partake in sustainable management and conservation efforts, and on effective monitoring as the latter especially has been conspicuously deficient.
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| People of Tanguar Haor |
Once this plan is successfully implemented and is replicated in other hoar systems throughout the country there will be a bright future for BangladeshÕs inland wetlands. One whereby natural resources benefit both local communities and the elite, and whereby the long-term survival of the unique biodiversity of these areas is guaranteed.
The key stakeholders of the Tanguar Haor resources and their management, had been, besides the i) local community and the ii) fisheries leaseholder, i) District Administration ii) Ministry of Land, iii) Department of Fisheries iv) Forestry Department v) Thana (Sub-district) Administration vi ) Water Development Board.
The key actors in bringing required change for sustainable and community based haor resource management had been : - (i) Ministry of Environment and Forest (ii) NCS Implementation Project Management (iii) IUCN (iv) District Administration (v) Local Community (vi) Department of Fisheries (vii) Department of Forest.
The major and prime mover interest in bringing about changes in the haor management had been the interest and commitment towards sustainable resource use for the benefit of the community. Ministry of Environment and Forest took the lead initiative and the implementation responsibility for bringing about change.
The Outcome
The outcome of the exercise had been the development and adoption of the Management Plan for Tanguar Haor in a participatory process, which very much involved all stakeholders including local community.
The Management Plan involves :
i. Involvement of local villagers in commercial fisheries;
ii. Providing access of local villagers to non-commercial fishing resources such as monsoonal subsistence fishing, livestock grazing, duck keeping, grass and reed collecting;
iii. Establishing regulations to limit excessive use of these natural resources (based on consensus within the community, rather than on imposition of levies or threats);
iv. Community development projects, to improve health and alleviate rural poverty;
v. Restoration of the natural environment (e.g. replanting of swamp forest and reed beds, and re-stocking of fish); and
vi. Clear-cut roles for monitoring and implementation.
The implementation of the plan in its short and medium term horizon of around five years, will pave the way for the envisaged long-term option of community-based management. The rationale-which has been generally accepted world-wide-is that local communities are likely to be the best caretakers of the environment, as it is primarily in their own interest to manage these resources sustainable.
The Management Plan aims to involve local people in the commercial fisheries, and have them regain their rightful access to other haor resources, by means of reaching a trade-off agreement with both the local community and the leaseholder. The leaseholder will be bound by a new lease agreement to involve local people in the fishery enterprise (target percentages and dates fixed) and immediately cease with the illegal withholding of access rights. In return, the leaseholder is to receive a consolidated lease agreement for the all waters in the hoar, and receive a longer lease-term.
The trade-off for the local community is that they will regain access to natural resources and benefit from a poverty-alleviation programme, in return for which they have to abide by regulations for proper resource use, and curb certain activities, such as expanding the area under rice cultivation and bird hunting/trapping. With free-access to natural resources restored to the local community, there is the threat that this already degraded system will be further over-exploited. Therefore, the local community, together with an environmental NGO and development NGO, are to develop a set of regulations for sustainable resource use.
The Development NGO and the Local Community are to jointly formulate a "Development Plan" for the villages at Tanguar Haor, aimed at poverty alleviation. Poverty alleviation will be achieved to some degree by involving local fishermen in the commercial fisheries, restoring access to other haor resources, and by establishing village fuelwood and timber plots. In addition, the programme is to include the establishing of fishponds, replanting of species (now rate or absent), construction of latrines and tubewells (at least one per village), vocational training, and provision of low-interest or interest-free loans.
Without monitoring, the Management Plan stands little hope of success. The current Management Plan therefore sets clear targets, where possible, such as hectares of percentages, plus target dates, which are verifiable indicators of achievement. Also provided is a clear set of instructions as to whom is responsible for managing which activities. Overall responsibility lies with MOEF, but there is a balanced set of checks and periodic evaluations, and clear reporting procedures, which are likely to identify any significant deviations from the plan.
Apart from the Local Community and the Fisheries Leaseholder, the following stakeholders are recognised as being principle actors in the implementation of the Management Plan :
• Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF), which is to be responsible for overall implementation of the Management Plan taking initiatives to ensure implementation by involving other ministries, and selecting suitable NGOs for assisting implementation.
• DCÕs Office/Ministry of Land (MoL), which is responsible for the issuing of the Jalmohal(waterbody) lease.
• Department of Fisheries (DoF), which is responsible for fisheries management.
• Forestry Department (FD), which is responsible for forest and wildlife management.
• National Environment NGO, which is to be involved for developing resource sue guidelines, monitoring of wildlife, training of FD field staff, and awareness campaigns.
• National Development NGO, which is to be responsible for monitoring of socio-economic activities, developing resource use guidelines, and the poverty-alleviation programme (Development Programme).
• International Environmental NGO, which is to perform external monitoring and evaluation.
• Tanguar Haor Monitoring Team (THMT), a new body which is to be chaired by the District Commissioner, Sunamganj, and include representatives from DoF, FD, MoL, and the two national NGOs
The expected impacts of the plan, once implemented, include i) sustainable management of the haor ecosystem and its natural resources to ensure equitable distribution of benefits leading also to the resources being enjoyed by future generations ii) community involvement at various stages of implementation (as it was in the case of development and adoption) in ensuring protection of their interests and the best possible care of natural resources iii) the plan to serve as a model for replication in similar situations.
The Lessons Learned
The unique thing about drawing of the management plan for Tanguar Haor, had been its being the first of such exercise and being participatory even at the grassroots level. It was a practical exercise, not an academic one and targeted for the real benefit of both the ecosystem and the stakeholders, the local community in particular.
